#do we like the “read more’’ bit for longer posts? of course the huge ones need it but do we like them in smaller ones like this?

[androids-insides]

HA HA. You waited for super long and you got left on a cliffhanger!!! Stanley Parable Day Comic 7/9

Part 8

#the stanley parable #the stanley parable art #the stanley parable fanart #tsp art #tsp fanart #tsp fandom #the stanley parable ultra deluxe #tspud #android’s insides #do we like the “read more’’ bit for longer posts? of course the huge ones need it but do we like them in smaller ones like this? #rendering this now even I realise how different it all is. for starters I’m am now stealing big colours from screenshots! #the stanley parable comic #stanley tsp #Stanley parable day #Stanley parable day comic

[bluehourbucky]

Surprise

rockstar!dad!bucky x f!momreader

summary: last show of Buckys tour where he gets a special surprise

part of the same universe as Love from afar but can be read as standalone

a/n: so I'm kinda soft for rockstar dad bucky you might see more of him in the future I already have 2 more fic ideas sushdbbd

main masterlist

bucky masterlist

-more rockstardad!bucky

hope you enjoy! if you have any questions or feedback my asks are open!

DO NOT COPY OR STEAL MY WORK

_________________________________________

Tonight was the last stop of tour, and Bucky was feeling all kinds of things. Nervous, sad that the tour was done, but also incredibly happy to finally get home to his pregnant wife and two boys.

"Good evening everybody!" Bucky yells into the mic and does a riff on his guitar.

"Tonight is the last show-" before he finishes he's cut off by screams of "noo" of their fans.

"I know, I know. This tour has been a real dream come true. I wanna thank everyone who's here tonight and everyone who saw our show in the last six months. And of course, to those who support us from afar."

Bucky stops talking and looks at the huge stadium screaming his name and almost tears up.

"Let's have fun tonight!"

Bucky starts singing the first song, and the crowd goes wild. He loves this so much the adrenaline the energy it makes him feel high.

It's getting close to the end of the show. Only the last song is left, and it's a surprise song for the last show. This song Bucky wrote for you when he was leaving for tour the first time after having a kid. Its not a song they usually play as it is a slow farewell song, but why not.

"Thank you for such an amazing show. You are such an incredible crowd. But can I ask for a little more of your time and energy?!"

The crowd yells out a yes. Bucky and other members of his band smile, him and Steve share a look that says "we made it".

They start singing, and the crowd starts singing the lyrics with them, some people start crying and the stadium is lit up with phone flashlights

When they finish the last song the crowd chants their name.

"Thank you!" Bucky bows lowly.

and then the crowd screams louder and Bucky turns around.

"I know the show is over. But I thought I could ask for one last song?"

Bucky is speechless when he hears your voice, and when he sees his 7 month pregnant wife on stage, he almost collapses. The crowds screaming dies out, and the only thing Bucky sees is you in a pretty purple dress standing a few feet away microphone in your hands.

"So? Just my favourite I'm sure no one would mind? Right Steve?"

Steve smiles at you softly, he knew you were coming and helped you pull this thing off without Bucky knowing.

"What's one more song?" Steve says and starts singing.

Bucky takes the microphone and starts singing to you. He slowly walks over, scared that you'll disappear any second. You wouldn't call this song particularly sweet and romantic since Bucky wrote it about your wild hookups in unconventional places when you were like 18. But still, it remains your favourite song.

By the end of the song, Bucky is close to sobbing he started crying at some point.

"My beautiful wife, everybody!" He says through tears. The crowd has been screaming since you came out on stage.

"Thank you! Sorry to keep you a bit longer I'm sure everybody is very tired. Get home safe." you say and leave the stage waving, but not before kissing Bucky softly and telling him you'll see him in a bit.

While you wait for the show to finish, you log into Buckys Instagram since you don't have your own. Already, there are thousands and thousands of posts about you coming on stage.

Bucky didn't publicly announce the pregnancy, and neither have you. This time, you somehow managed to hide it for so long since the attention was mostly pointed at the tour.

You're sure that by tomorrow, every tabloid will have your picture splattered everywhere but you couldn't care less. What Bucky doesn't know yet is that the boys are here with you and you can't wait to see his face.

"DADDY!" Theo screams and jumps into his fathers arms, and Bucky catches him.

Bucky holds onto his son like he's going to disappear any second.

"What are you doing here? How? When?" Bucky asks in between kisses that he's giving your son.

Leo crawls and hugs Bucky's legs, with Theo still in his arms, Bucky picks up his other son and starts kissing each of their cheeks in turns.

"We wanted to surprise you. I guess it worked, no?" you tease him a little and snap a picture of the sweet scene in front of you.

Somehow, Theo ends up clinging onto his dad's back, which gives Bucky enough space to pull you into a group hug.

"Ew you're sweaty and smell. Theo get down you'll get stinky too."

Bucky doesn't let either of you leave his embrace, and the menace he is, he snuggles Leo even closer to him. You smile into his neck, you missed him so much.

"Alright, I'll go shower, then we can go. Don't go anywhere."

"Daddy wait I'm still here!" Theo screams into Buckys ear trying to get down but Bucky is still holding him.

"Oh right, I guess you're not showering with me." Theo giggles happily and walks over to you.

"The other one too Buck." He rolls his eyes and let's his 3 year old down from his arms.

He doesn't take long, and the four of you are on your way to the hotel.

In the car, boys talk to their father, and Bucky listens very carefully, not to miss a single word.

When you get to the hotel suite, Bucky gets the boys ready for bed and reads them a bedtime story. They fall sleep almost instantly, Theo on his right shoulder and Leo on his left.

Bucky manages to wiggle out without waking them up and makes his way over to you.

"God I love you. You're incredible. How did you even do this we talked this morning and I-" you cut him off with a kiss.

"I love you too. And I can't belive that we've been married for so long and I still get to surprise you." Bucky smiles and put his hand on you belly, feeling the little movement.

"My pretty baby, I'm sorry daddy hasn't talked you I promise I'll make it up to you, I'm gonna be the only thing you hear for forever!" Bucky talks to the baby in your belly.

"I love you more than anything, Bucky I love our family and I missed you so fucking much." you start to tear up, holding onto Buckys hands. It hit you all at once that you're having another baby and that he wasn't there and that you can't believe you found a soulmate.

"Doll, you're my forever. I love you more than there are stars in the universe. I can not thank you enough for being there and supporting me and being the mother of my children. The last 6 months have both been the best and worst of my life. I want you to know that you and the boys were all I could think about. I can not wait to get home, our messy, lively home. Soon, I know we'll be getting zero sleep, and we'll be exhausted, but I will be doing it with you. That makes me extremely happy. You were my dream then, my dream now and my dream forever."

You sob into his chest, holding him tightly, as if he's going to disappear into thin air. The hug is a bit weird as your bump is in the way but it's the thing that you needed the most right now.

"If I could I would fuck you right now you look incredibly sexy." you say through tears and Buckys chest vibrate from the laugh.

"I'll make it up to you my love. I will have you in bed for a week straight, you'll be all mine. My pretty doll." He plants a sweet kiss on top of your head.

"Let's get you in bed. I'm sure you're tired." you only nod and let Bucky take care of you.

When you fall asleep, Bucky is wide awake looking at his beautiful family. He can't wait to get home and take care of you.

[THE END]

*extra*

<breaking news famous singer and guitarist Bucky Barnes is expecting a third child with his wife.>

<we can't get help but feel single when we see this couple! Bucky Barnes and his wife on stage last night! Buckys wife surprised him and requested her favorite song!!>

<after almost a year we see Bucky Barnes' wife and she is very much pregnant! we wish them the best!>

*comments*

omg such goals!

want someone to look at me the way bucky and his wife look at each other!

how does one looks so gorgeous while that pregnant she's literally glowing! Bucky is so lucky!

family goals

#bucky barnes #bucky imagine #bucky masterlist #sebastian stan characters #bucky barnes x reader #dad bucky x reader #bucky x reader #rockstar!bucky #james buchanan barnes #bucky fic #bucky fluff

[thenightwolf51]

So i just read this post about the Bats being Warlocks with Danny as their Patron and its super great, amazing work @aziraphale-is-a-cat and @percyisawesome

At first i thought Lady Gotham was going to be their Patron, because i immediately forgot i was reading a crossover, and that sparked an idea.

What if Lady Gotham doesn't exist and Phantom was the Gotham city spirit.

So DPxDC idea where Phantom was the first recorded Hero/Meta way back before the Justice League members were even born, because i love those stories, but if course no one knew that back then. Metas weren't a thing yet.

So things go as canon but eventually the GIW get worse and worse, especially as more and more of Amity becomes Liminal from ambient ecto leaking from the portal.

And the GIW, way too confident with the Anti Ecto Acts in place, decide that Amity Park is a lost cause. They launch a major attack the town and destroy the portal in the process.

And even though i think the surviving Amity Parkers would buckle down, stand strong, and rebuild their town. For the sake of this idea, lets say they don't do that.

Instead the survivors band together and decide they need to leave, get as far from the GIW's main base of operations as they can.

They go right.

They end up in Gotham, New Jersey.

Now, im messing with the timeline a bit. I still kinda want the DP parts to be early 2000s, maybe late 80s/early 90s at the least, so the uniquely DC events im pushing to later in time a bit.

So lets say Gotham, while still pretty old and with its history and subtle curses, never really expanded into the huge city we normally think of. No towering skyscrapers or really any huge buildings, is barely a small city at this point.

And then an influx of new residents from the west cause a need to expand. Over the generations the former Amity Parkers help Gotham become what we know in Bruces time. By then they're just Gothamites, and if their subtle limiality is to attribute for the modern Gothamite's durability and the eventual rogues' whole... thing well its been way too long to place blame on that random group of refugees.

And where was Phantom in all this? Watching over his people. The portal and his family are gone, he cant be Danny because the survivors believe he died when FentonWorks exploded, all he really has at the moment is these people who's lives he believes he inadvertently destroyed.

So he watches over them, then their descendants and the seemingly unfortunate people of their new home. This little city has afew old curses that are holding the residents back and making them miserable, its the least he can do to take some of them on for himself, just make things easier for the people.

Eventually the city becomes his new haunt, becomes a part of him as he helps it grow and expand. And some Amity descendants still spread the urban legend that is the Phantom of Gotham.

(Just a little side detail that im not sure how to add in but i really like the idea of Liminality eventually evolving or mutating into the meta gene if there's not enough ambient ectoto keep it active. Maybe the portal sent out a shock wave of radiation when it was destroyed. Not everyone was affected but for those who were it either was so subtle the effects fade within a month from the lack of enough ambient ecto or went dormant until it became a meta gene and no longer needed ecto.

I dont know, i mostly like the irony of Batman's "no meta's in Gotham" rule when most of Gotham was unknowingly built by the original "metas")

@hdgnj @dcxdpdabbles @nelkcats @nerdpoe @ailithnight @tathartiel

And @omnicrafts , hope your feeling better

#dpxdc #dcxdp #Phantom of Gotham #Liminality evolves into the meta gene without ecto to fuel it

[howtofightwrite]

Sorry if this has been answered before. Would it be possible to have a character who learns how to use a sword skillfully in less than a few years (if taught by an expert)? If not, what are some alternatives for a protagonist who needs to learn swordfighting for plot reasons?

Yes, but...

So, this is a little harder to answer than it initially sounds, because there's a few extra things to consider.

I'm going to spitball this, but I suspect you could get someone up to speed with a sword in a few months, probably less than that, depending on how much time they spent training, and how seriously they committed to it.

The issue is, combat training isn't (usually) about getting to baseline proficiency, it's about being more effective than your opponent. So, if your character spent a couple years learning to fight with a sword, and they're taking on soldiers or other characters who didn't spent that much time training, or learning, they'll probably have an advantage. If they're training to go after an enemy swordmaster who spent decades matching wits and blades with their expert mentor, their skills not going to be sufficient. (Though, to be fair, if someone spent most of those two years in intense training, their skills would be pretty formidable.)

One exception here is that soldiers are often trained to proficiency, and nothing further. It doesn't mean they're not dangerous, and their ability to work together can quickly turn them into an insurmountable threat for your character, but, you're not going to be finding a lot of swordmasters mixed in with the rank and file infantry, even if they've spent longer training.

Combat experience is (generally) more valuable than training. So, if your character's been practicing to use their skills, but never been in a real fight, that's going to hamper them. Now, it's likely that their mentor would be fully aware of that, and those years of training should probably include some practical experience of some variety.

It's also likely that if your characters is engaged in intense training for that long, there may be other skills getting mixed in, to give them a better combat base. It's hard to say exactly what those skills would be, though depending on the setting it may include things like armor, or the use of alternative weapons such as daggers and cloaks. (I realize, we haven't talked about this in a moment, but a heavy cloak can be an extremely effective parrying tool when dueling, particularly against light blades like the epee or rapier. Once the blade is wrapped in a heavy fabric or leather, it can take a bit of effort to get it free again. It's not a huge detriment, but it will leave the sword's owner without the use of their weapon for a few critical moments, which is the perfect time to end them.)

Of course, if you're training a Zorro style pseudo-superhero, then things like acrobatics and (anachronistic) parkour are also options.

Depending on the era you're going for (particularly 17th and 18th century) do not overlook the effectiveness of opening a fight by pumping a musket ball into your opponent. Early, smooth-bore, pistols weren't particularly accurate at range, and were downright anemic in comparison to modern bullets, but it will still seriously mess up an unarmored fighter. Similarly, in a situation like that, your character would have to be pretty careful about not getting shot. It certainly doesn't invalidate the sword (that would come later with repeating firearms), but it will make their life a lot more perilous. (Read: interesting.)

So, could someone take a couple years to train with a sword? Yeah, absolutely, and if they committed to it, and had a good instructor, they could come out the other side of that with some fairly significant skills, and as a legitimate threat.

-Starke

This blog is supported through Patreon. Patrons get early access to new posts, and direct access to us through Discord. If you’d like to support us, please consider becoming a Patron.

#how to fight write #Starke answers #writing advice #writing reference #writing tips

[moonandsunwoo]

txt reaction to you moving in next door

# — pairing: txt x reader // strangers to smth

# — genre: fluuuuuff hi

# — warnings: none except a tale as old as time (that we love)

Another requested one!! Thanks for you kind words <3 i wasnt quite sure if thats what you meant (you said txt x reader so i assume a reaction with usual member specific sections) but if it isn‘t then feel welcomed to send another ask and specify! Im probably overthinking this but i just wanted to visualise my thought process (not that it was anyhow long). Have a nice week!

It is a bit longer than usual bc i wanted to include some sort of backstory! I am still scared of tumblr messing with my post as soon as i add a *read more* thingie, so i hope you can forgive me if i dont add one. If someone knows why it does that or how to fix (even better), please let me know!

Soobin — When you moved in, Soobin was thinking of preparing a welcoming gift - a little housewarming present you know. Especially because you would be right next door and he figured that with roommates like his, and their volume, it would be better to start off on a good note. Of course Beomgyu clowned him for it, but before Soobin could think twice, he‘d ring your doorbell with a bunch of flowers (he hoped seasonal but honestly he had no clue), and a box of muffins. Those he almost dropped when you opened the door however because oh my goddess you were cute- he almost forgot to introduce himself. When he returned to the dorm around a warm chat and a coffee in your half-furnished livingroom later, the redness of his cheeks had yet to fade and he (+ txtease) realised that this crush would probably remain for some time.

Yeonjun — He walked out the door one sunny day and straight into a huge box that was (a bit clumsily) placed in front of the it. You had apologised profusely and invited him for tea or coffee as a compensation for his poor foot. Little did you know that Yeonjuns foot had stopped hurting the second he had fully taken you in (which was fast) and he felt not mad but motivated to help you move in next to their dorm asap = so he could get to know you more also asap. And he did help, he carried boxes and lamps and bags into your new apartment, joking and discussing with you as if you and he had always been friends. You were so easygoing and friendly, Yeonjun felt drawn to you. Who knew that one misplaced box could be the start of such a cute friendship - or even further (but thats a story for another day)

Beomgyu — He heard suspiciously loud thuds from next door and decided to check it out. He heard from someone that they would get a new roommate (Beomgyu hoped for someone fun this time) so he assumed that the moving in would be the source of the concerning noises. He was absolutely correct, because the moment he was ringing your doorbell was the moment you singelhandedly decided to move your massive bed across the room. With more or less (less, significantly less) success however. So when you opened the door you were slightly out of breath, hair sticking up and face shiny — and Beomgyu almost cooed. He swore he had never seen something lovelier than you (and you thought the same, in all honesty, c’mon it’s Beomgyu) and immediately offered his help. Later he wondered if the universe really had to test his physical strength to such an extent but ultimately he wasn‘t complaining. Just like his self-proclaimed “minicrush“ wouldn’t stop growing after that :)

Taehyun — The two of you met in the lobby as strangers, entered the elevator as strangers and got off at the same floor as acquaintances. Or as “half friends” how Taehyun would describe it to his friends, not without feeling his heart warm a bit. When both of you pressed the same button it sparked a conversation and a laugh, and somehow the two you just clicked instantly! Taehyun felt grateful that you were the new neighbour and excited to spend more time with you. A frequent thing he’d do, was coming over to help you set up furniture or decorate. He always said he just liked doing stuff like this, but in reality he came for time spent together afterwards. A bit tired from the work and hungry, but happy and in good company, just glad to have met the other one. (I SHIP IT)

Hueningkai — He had been relaxing at home when the doorbell made his heart jump slightly. Opening the door made his heart jump again - for a different reason this time. You had (after overthinking it twice) decided to visit all your neighbours on the same floor and introduce yourself, bringing a little treat. Nothing big, but homemade, and Hueningkai would never grow tired of praising the taste. Like literally, he wouldn’t. stop. That was partly also because his brain short-circuited the second he invited you into their dorm, simply because you were so pretty and he was so not prepared for it. He also completely forgot you would be moving in so all he could really say with confidence, is that your gift tastes excellent (because it did) and since it seemed to make you smile and relax a bit, Kai decided to tap the full potential of it. Look he’s a shy boy, but shy never stopped a friendship from blooming (the lack of effort does tho, btw) and it surely didn’t stop yours from blossoming, trust me.

© moonandsunwoo

#words of my own [writing] #txt reactions #yeonjun x you #yeonjun x reader #soobin x you #soobin x reader #taehyun x you #taehyun x reader #beomgyu x you #beomgyu x reader #hueningkai x you #hueningkai x reader #txt x you #txt x reader #txt fluff #kpop reactions #and they were neighbors

[fellshish]

Hello!

I already sent this question to another blog, but I think something went wrong and I’m to embarrassed to sent it again in case it went through after all. And because you always reply in such an extensive and well-considered way, I thought I try my luck here. Hope it is okay to pester you with my questions?

Sadly I’m quite an inattentive viewer when it comes to movies and shows. There are many instances when I read other people’s posts, and I’m totally baffled how I missed certain details or even fairly obvious aspects. So the answers to my questions might be very obvious.

It’s about their physical contact and how it is more present in s2 than it was in s1. At least that’s the way I perceived it.

As far as I’m aware physical contact between Crowley & Aziraphale was always a rare occurrence, which changed with s2. Of course there is the kiss!!! But additionally there are many little moments where Aziraphale touches Crowley (e.g. in the pub).

Is it always just Aziraphale who does this/ initiates the contact, apart from the kiss of course?

Were these little touches present in s1 and I just missed it somehow? I know they briefly hold hands when they exchange bodies/ their appearances and there is the moment in the former nunnery. However I can’t recall if there was more. Maybe in one of the flashbacks?

Anyway the s2 touches seem way more intimate, affectionate and caring than any interaction in s1, which makes sense after what they went through in s1. (I really would have liked a flashback that shows a little bit of their probably rather normal (well as normal as a pandemic can be) everyday life between s1 and s2. How these touches became more and more a part of their relationship.)

Hmm okay my thoughts on this are multiple.

So yes, in s1 as far as i can remember we only get a few instances of them touching: the former nunnery, the body swap and a brief blink and you miss it moment on the bus where they hold hands. The moment where crowley pushes aziraphale against the wall is a major one that crowley initiates, and the s2 kiss is supposed to mirror it, but it’s interesting that in both scenes it is a huge burst of emotion, of passion. It shows how repressed crowley is, how much he tries to keep himself in check at all times.

I think we can conclude crowley is much more careful about touching the angel. He keeps it hands off, perhaps he’s more afraid of what hell would do to him if they caught wind of him sharing intimate gestures with an angel. Add in that he does not consider himself worthy of love, and well. Well.

In season 2 things have changed. They are both no longer reporting to heaven or hell; and it’s especially aziraphale that treats crowley as his personal no-kissing-but-yeah-kinda-boyfriend. He keeps pushing the boundaries of what he can have with crowley, we see it when he borrows the car, but also in the touches he initiates. Rubbing his chest in the pub. Taking his hand in the ball episode, dancing with him. To aziraphale this is a very slow, delicate dance they do; perhaps he’s unsure how much crowley will let him get away with. Perhaps he is afraid of the consequences of taking it too far, of Naming it — he, after all, still longs for the approval of heaven, misses the purpose that gave him.

In one of the flashbacks they touch as well: aziraphale supports crowley when he is drunk on laudanum in the cemetary. This is, aziraphale must be hoping, an exception to their rule of not touching. Then crowley gets dragged down to hell.

In the book they share more casual touches. As a narrative choice i find this interesting: for television, it holds much more tension if their touches increase only step by step. Those moments of touch hold much more meaning if they are rare, and what a shock to the system and their unspoken rules when crowley then finally kisses aziraphale! It’s the jane austen of it all, the mountains of longing are stored in the small gestures. The twitching hand. The stolen glance. Oh, it’s all too much!!! 6,000 years of being touch starved IMAGINE

#good omens #good omens spoilers #aziracrow #ineffable husbands #my asks

[demodraws0606]

The very weird plays in Tsukasa and Rui's last event and how they can be analysed and the weird detail that links them together

I made a post about this before but it was poorly made (and also not really a theory or analysis it was just me having brainworms) so I deleted it and I want to actually make an analysis about it. Unfortunatly this also means this post will be long as fuck which can be a positive or a negative depending on how you view it.

Warning for mentions of suicide and drowning

So Tsukasa and Rui both have plays that are kind of the focus of the event, to the point where wxs literally stop to basically explain to us the plot of them (in world they're just talking about it but like it's clear it's also meant for us the viewers to understand the plays they're doing).

And these two plays are already very interesting and...well dark on their own but they have a extremely strange similarity that I don't believe is a coincidence (because that would be insane) and also just kinda shakes the foundation on how colorpalet write these sorts of topics in general.

First I want to preface this by saying that me analysing these plays isn't some kind of fool's herrand as colorpalet has explicitely hid backstory information, future lore hints and overall just little bits of character into WxS's plays more often than not. Of course some plays are more explicit than others.

A huge exemple of this, is the first arc ender where the play they do to save Phennyland is one that obviously is meant to parallel Emu's backstory with her grandpa. It also stands as Very early foreshadowing between the parallels of Emu's grandpa and Tsukasa that Emu sees in Admist a Dream.

So yeah, from a writing standpoint, makes sense you don't want the plays you spent a lot of words describing to the audience to be useless especially considering colorpalet has a limited amount of time to explore these stories.

I also want to get this as early as possible before I get possible criticism because I know how this fandom acts towards analysis that delve into darker topics. Don't try and respond with "colorpalet wouldn't write something like that" or "this is too dark for colorpalet". Not only because I'm not insinuating that they will actually go full dark mode and depict something graphic.

But also because this is something that is already IN the text, I'm not making up darker themes here, that is something that colorpalet chose to add in WonderlandXShowtime's event stories. I'm only bringing up how odd this is for colorpalet and how it could relate to the overall story.

I'll bring this up later because this specific criticism gets very silly once you delve deeper into it but I don't want to stall the analysis any longer.

So now with this out of the way, let's get into the plays.

This is the story of the first play showed in Tsukasa's event

Of course the first thing that stands out is how much darker this play is compared to well...almost anything colorpalet addresses in stories ? This definitely shocked when I first read it, there is no usage of "disappearing" and it Actually describes the method as to which the protagonist wants to end their life which the only thing close to that we see is Kanade hinting on wanting to starve herself. But I'm gonna get into how weird this is for colorpalet later.

Extremely dark topics aside you can easily draw parallels to this story to Nene and Rui specifically already. The story is vague enough that those parallels don't hold too much water (ahaha get it) BUT it's still something that I feel is important to point out nontheless.

Nene and Rui were both unsuccesful in their dreams before the main story. Nene having given up going on stage and Rui never being able to be a director being forced to use robots for his plays.

Both were pretty jaded and well "worn out" until they met Tsukasa and Emu which would be a stand in for the protagonist of this play going through various encounters with many people and deciding to live a little longer.

(The reason I don't compare this protagonist to Tsukasa and Emu here is because I don't think they fit as well. Tsukasa's issues wasn't being unsuccesful its more so him forgetting the reasons behind his dreams and Emu's situation while similar just doesn't feel like it fits this story in particular)

So yeah this story is pretty simple so there is not much to analyse or pick apart. I could go scene by scene but then I would be distracting from the main point I want to make so I'll just be using the simple descriptions of the overall story.

NOW this one is a doozie, I didn't put the whole story that's described but I think compared to the last one this one is way more obvious as to what this could paralleling (or even foreshadowing if you want to be spicy).

I don't think this play is meant to be interpreted in only one way but the most obvious interpretation is the parallels to the disbandement arc. I think it particularly fits Rui in the disbandement considering how Katsuyuki is described but it can also work with Emurui in general as well.

Someone struggling meeting someone who brings joy in their life before they seemingly have to leave, said person being desperate for that not to happen.

I do think it's also meant to be a sort of double meaning here as if you have seen my cyberpunk deadboy analysis, the idea of someone leaving silently with the other trying to chase them down is something that just feels...idk intentional. But I don't have any evidence other than vibes here.

Now that I analysed these plays I want to get into the one common thread they have that is extremely baffling and concerning.

They both have the main character contemplating suicide by drowning.

Now you can be nitpicky and point out how the play in Rui's event doesn't explicitely say that this dude wants to drown himself but I just find it more likely mostly because of how this and the description of Katsuyuki's characters are phrased.

When Katsyuki is said to be "without the will to live"

THAT is a literal translation

Unfortunatly I'm not a japanese speaker so don't take my research with 100 pourcent certainty

However if you look at how this sentence is phrased in japanese, this translation is pretty much word for word

And also just what Hajime says doesn't feel like what someone would say to someone if they're just leaning to close to look at the ocean or just being reckless.

Anyways now that I've made my point that there is a 95 pourcent chance this is Heavily implying Katsuyuki was plannign on drowning himself the question is....

what the fuck ?

Now one time is already a big deal considering colorpalet's insitance on censoring explicit mentions of suicide and for it to be implied twice in the span of two events in a row ? And have it be specifically be by drowning both times ?????

I don't understand people just brushing this off because Colorpalet Actively chose to make the plays like this. These plays often take a large portion of the screentime, and I've showcased how they can hold story significance so such a blatant connection between them feels extremely intentional.

This is why complaints about expecting Colorpalet to get too dark and that it's unrealistic would be legitmatly silly because what's more unrealistic ?

That colorpalet has tackled this dark topic twice in a row to foreshadow or hint at possible topics that will be addressed in the future of WxS's story ? Weither it's through flashbacks or implications like 25ji OR even just symbolism.

Or that colorpalet just went and made the plays needlessly dark, for no reason ?????? Twice in a row with it being drowning both times ??????? With the same actor and both being the protagonist of the play ?????? Have those plays that take a lot of screentime being described just being completely devoid meaning ???????

I think I made my case about why the fandom's usual kneejerk reaction wouldn't make sense here, this isn't a "X character is secretly suicidal/depressed" situation.

Either way, I actually don't legitematly know what this could entail. This is clearly important enough that colorpalet is obviously shoving it in our faces but I do not know the meaning of it towards WxS's story just yet.

It could be hints at some of the members backstory (BTW by that I mean it could be hints at basically anything, it doesn't have to be explicitely 1/1 "they wanted to drown themselves") specifically Rui considering how suspicious they are at handling ms Rui but that is it's own can of wringling worms. But that could also be my fav character bias speaking tbf.

It could also just be meant to be some kind of like, message of colorpalet saying that they are willing to go darker with WxS's storyline if necessary. In a way showing that the gloves are off if they're not censoring dark topics that they usually censor.

Anyways I'm not delving further into it because otherwise i'd get into unhinged rants but honestly this subject just gives me so much brainworms because legit what the Fuck is colorpalet doing rn.

They are being so weird for literally no reason with WxS's story and I just have to sit back and watch them just drop weird shit out of nowhere.

Edit : One of my friends pointed out how one of them is a movie and one of them is a play and i realised I might've mixed those words up while writing this so yeah 😭

#project sekai #rui kamishiro #tsukasa tenma #emu otori #nene kusanagi #prsk #pjsk #prsk analysis #pjsk analysis #wxs #wonderlandxshowtime #tw suicide #tw drowning #tw mentions of suicide #warning before you interract with this post though #I'm doing this for fun #I appreciate wanting to give feedback but it kinda just kills the vibe for me #I'm sorry for being so defensive in a majority of the post but I feel like this is necessary considering what I know about the fandom #This is also not an invitation to try and criticise my post anyways just block and move on #This fandom just gets really touchey when people try and do analysis like this which I understand considering some rlly bad analysis #have come out of completely forgetting how colorpalet writes stories but like #that is very much not what i'm doing the topics are THERE i'm just reacting to them #And also just the “colorpalet wouldn't do that its unrealistic” is like pretty much not something I can argue against completely because #the point in itself is not based on evidence like we will never know how far colorpalet would go until they Go There #(also if you believe i'm vagueposting about someone through these constant warnings you'd be kind of right but like this is also just to #(make sure i'm understood because the last I post I made definitely gave people the wrong vibe which is my bad) #(these analysis mean a lot to me #personally so I want to make sure that this keeps being fun for me) #(anyways rlly sorry for the rant in the tags eirfuezij) #TLDR : i don't mean harm towards anyone if you don't agree with me it's in your full right but don't try and jump into the rb's to argue

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

Sorry I was reading through the replies on that Deaf post and I saw you'd written this: "it's a university known for its pastoral care. Fully abled students are actually in a minority here." I... how? Where is this university?? As someone who had to drop out of university because my needs were unmet, that just sounds unreal. How has that even happened??

Okay this answer could get very boring very quickly so I will do my very best to keep it brief and succinct, like my patience

TL;DR: we sit in the middle of an odd Venn diagram of factors that just mean we are more attractive to disabled students (certainly more attainable in a lot of cases), and the university is increasingly trying to lean into that.

Longer answer under the cut:

I suppose it's a perfect storm of a few factors. Necessary bureaucratic background: Higher Education in Wales went through a phase about 10-15 years ago where the various Education Ministers of the day, in a fit of mid-life crisis, decided there were too many universities and they needed to be streamlined by merging with each other (WHY, CARWYN), which had... uh, mixed results. Some good, some bad. But! It didn't affect every Welsh university. The bigger more prestigious ones, older and fancier of name, avoided the mergers, and in many cases struck out on their own away from umbrella institutions (Aberystwyth, Bangor, Cardiff and Swansea all notably left the University of Wales banner and went independent, for example. That meant there were a mere four universities still in Cardiff lol okay actually maybe Carwyn had a point)

But that left the smaller and more local unis to merge and band together to become single universities with campuses in different towns. The two big examples are University of South Wales (in Cardiff, Newport and Pontypridd), and University of Wales Trinity St David (in Swansea, Carmarthen and Lampeter; and yes, it is a deeply stupid name, isn't it?)

So factor number one: this is not one of the major prestigious universities with a Big Damn name.

Factor number two: this is also not a university with an obvious town/city attached.

Already, these two factors make it a bit more niche, and less likely to attract the academic cream of the crop; the little dweeby swats who live in their lockers. 18-year-olds applying to uni for the first time will not think of this one, because they haven't heard of it and don't know where it is. At 18, you're either going to look up a specific town, or a specific course, or a specific university; and if the latter, you're going to go for one with a big prestigious recognisable name. You're not going to go for University of Vaguely South Wales Somewhere, and you're really not going to go for Trinity St David in Fuck Knows Where.

...but you are if you get rejected by your first choice unis, and need to pick up a spot through Clearing, which is basically a week in the summer where rejected students cry to UCAS and beg for a spot on a similar course in a different uni that hasn't yet been filled. And our courses are rarely filled by the time Clearing happens because we get fewer applicants, so we welcome these poor rejected weeping souls with open arms.

Factor number three: you are more likely to be rejected by your first choice university if you are in some way disabled. Particularly if you have a learning difficulty. Not even intentionally, necessarily, but we all know how disability complicates academic performance.

So students applying through Clearing are much more likely to be disabled, many lacking a diagnosis (and possibly unaware themselves, in the case of neurodivergence). A huge chunk of our school leavers come aboard via Clearing.

Factor number four: while our courses are extremely academically rigorous (I say this as someone who just finished a PG Cert with Oxford University, and honestly, there was very little difference in academic quality), they tend to have more of a focus on practical applications and vocational elements. They're more hands-on, in other words. This tends to suit neurodiverse people with limited desire or ability to sit in a lecture hall and listen.

Factor number five: 80% of our intake comes from within a 50 mile radius of the campus (probably thanks to the merger, actually - no one knows where we are).

Factor number six: This campus had a fairly meteoric rise - from Institute of Higher Education, to Metropolitan university, to Major Institution in the span of about 25 years. As an IHE they were dealing with 16-18 year olds looking for vocational alternatives to A Levels. When dealing with that age group, pastoral care and support is generally much higher, because those are children. The move up the ranks to university happened too quickly for that culture of support to go away, and so it's stayed. Particularly because:

Factor number seven: a huge proportion of our students, thanks to all of the above, are people who never thought they could "do" university. Often, they were actively told by teachers, parents etc that they couldn't. Often, this is because of disability of some form, especially neurodivergence. Many are mature students, looking to go back and get the degree they always wanted. But with us, the pastoral care and support means they do make it over the finish line. Which means:

Our reputation is that our degrees are more "achievable". High pastoral support, small class sizes, personable lecturers, good disability services - it all adds up. Our students aren't just a face in a crowd. If they start to fall by the wayside, we notice. We are much more accessible than our neighbours, who will cram in 60 students to a 40 person room and make the overspill watch the lectures on TV screens next door, and will charge students £300 for an ADHD assessment that doesn't even result in a formal diagnosis.

So the result is that we're weirdly disability-friendly, and we do lean into it. We're gearing up for the next academic year right now, and the Vice Chancellor literally mentioned in his briefing this year that disability is almost a feature of our student population and that's something we need to accommodate. More than 50% have a disability of some sort.

ALL OF WHICH IS NOT TO SAY THAT WE ARE PERFECT, my god, as an institution I have definitely seen the ball get dropped from time to time. It would also vary between department, I expect. But yeah, on balance, we end up with a lot of disabled students, and the culture is one of support and accommodation for that.

As I final note, I'm so sorry that wasn't your experience, and you had to drop out. That's so incredibly unfair, and it shouldn't have happened. (And if you want to try again in an environmental course in Wales DM me lol I can hit you up)

#university #disabilities

[catgirljaneway]

For the character ask game: Kes + 1, 12, 20

Thank you so much for the ask!! (Ask game in question)

1. Why do you like or dislike this character?

Ok! So I'm a huge Kes fan, and I was initially drawn to her because she's got this little aura of joy, and you can't help but love her, which you can see in other character's interactions with her on the show. Any room she walks into instantly gets a little brighter and she's just so fundamentally kind and gentle and full of love.

So that's what initially drew me to her, but what hooked me, was that fact that the longer you watch, the more we learn about her, the more deeply strange she gets. We've got that fantastic scene in elogium where she eats all those fucking bugs with that deranged expression, and of course, my all time favorite, this one scene where the doctor tells Kes he has some autopsy reports for her to read because he knows she loves autopsies. This by the way, is NEVER brought up again which I think is a terrible loss, because what thing to say about a character and then never mention! What a fact!

So you've got this little elfish looking girl, who's still fundamentally kind and gentle, but now we also know "oh she's a bit of a freak!" and she's wicked smart, and then she learn, oh, she's got these terrifying powers at her core and actually she might not be as fundamentally gentle as we (the audience) or kes herself thought. And now Kes has to grapple with this, and she's still a deeply good and loving person at heart, but now she has to try a little harder to suppress these urges and that makes her fundamentally more interesting.

Also her relationships with Janeway and Tuvok and The Doctor all bring me so much joy. Janeway's love for her, and the way she smiles when Kes is around, the way she hugs her when she leaves just!! Rip me to pieces. And Tuvok's mentorship and quiet protection of her?? And that scene when the Doctor holds her in Twisted. Kes has 3 parents, and honestly all three of them think they're taking care of her, but they need her more than she needs them.

And what's kept me loving her, is in a way her missed potential. So much about Kes wasn't explored, so much was left unanswered, and getting to rotate her around in my head and think about all the things she could have been is so fun. I deeply wish she had been used more, because on paper she's such a fascinating, deeply weird character. And she was just starting to come into her own when we leave her. She's broken up with Neelix, she's making her own choices, and I want to imagine where that would have gone. (I have further thoughts on this, but this is already ridiculously long, so I will continue this in a different post)

Long story short, she's a lovable little weird girl, and I like weird little girls. She'd crawl around on all fours and make up weird stories at recess in fourth grade and I like that about her.

Also she reminds me of the "a little guy!" > "oh they're actually fucked up" meme.

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

Well I LOVE the art where people make her look a little more bug like. With weird pupils and antennae and such. I love that, I definitely headcanon her looking a bit creepier like that.

I also headcanon her as a lesbian. Her whole relationship with Neelix baffles me. I honestly LOVE them as friends, they're so great when they're just silly best friends, but I cannot stand them as a couple. She's a gay girlie.

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?

SEVEN!! Seven!!! GAH! The missed potential! Pretty much a weirdgirls club with Seven, B'elanna, and Kes. Kes would have been the perfect person to help Seven reintegrate into society, because she's patient and kind, and she'd get a huge kick out of Seven's deadpan humor. I mean, the EMH is her best friend, she's very good at dealing with people who others consider hard to get along with.

Kes wouldn't make Seven feel bad about the way she is, or try to pressure her to conform to what she wants from Seven. She'd take her how she was and love her for her whole being, not for what she could be. Also Seven would be Kes's scary dog ❤️ Because people meet Kes and think she's an easy target or a pushover (even though she could probably obliterate anyone if she so felt like it) but then Seven is standing behind her looking menacing and they hurry away as quick as they can, completely unaware they were scared of the wrong blonde.

#trek thoughts #asks #ask game #thank you so much for the ask!! #sorry I went a bit overboard! #but I love kes tons #that's my bug daughter #!!! #will have to make some more posts to expand on what i've said here #but I'm a kes x seven and a kes x b'elanna or seven x kes x b'elanna truther #star trek #voyager #kes #seven x kes #and also I NEED to talk more about janeway and kes #they make me feel so much

[starbiex]

evajacks kiss hint in ouabh??

So I was re-reading OUABH and there is no way this isn't a hint to the evajacks kiss we'll probably see in ACFTL!!

This scene is written with so much more detail than the previous description and introduction of kiss chess, there's no way it isn't a clue to something! I'd think that the whole description about the girl's trembling hands and the boy being nervous would usually be cut out UNLESS it is important 👀

NOTE: this is a long post, and there's a bit of rambling, but I promise I have a point!!!

the young woman in a paper crown

Hmmm... paper crown? First off, Eva is a princess, so the crown definitely makes sense and would suit her. Paper? On one hand, it's probably because it's kiss chess and it's just a board game, so it being just paper would suit the "game" vibe. But a part of me also thinks that it's more special than just for fitting the vibe of the game, I don't have a strong theory for this part but I do think it has something to do with Apollo, or maybe they get a divorce so she's no longer a real princess, or Prince of Hearts x Eva = Princess symbolism. Probably getting offtrack with this one but I know it means something, I just don't know for certain what it is HAHA

standing on her tiptoes to kiss

THIS ONE!!! I didn't realise this one as quickly as I did the others, but this is such a big clue!! In TBONA, when Eva would kiss Luc's cheek, it would describe how she tiptoes to do that. We already know that Jacks is taller than Eva since she has to tilt her head up to look at him when they're close, so it would make sense that she'd have to tiptoe to kiss Jacks a well!! I thought the tiptoeing was just cute and sweet in TBONA, but now I think it's one big clue that leads back to this part in OUABH!!!!

tall young man (in a black bishop's cape)

This one is pretty self-explanatory I think, Jacks is a tall young man, or at least taller than Eva by quite a bit. Agh! I don't have much on the black bishop's cape but I, again, feel like this would be important, or else it would'nt've been mentioned at all! Maybe the black cape could've gone by just fine, but why bishop's cape??

The girl's hands were trembling, but her cheeks were flushed with excitement

Maybe before the kiss, something big happens? like a fight?? she gets her memories back??? I'm not sure, maybe she's just really excited/nervous! Eva's always big on blushing and of course she'd be excited about the kiss!

and the boy appeared almost as nervous. He stood completely still. 

There are a lot of possibilities when it comes to what's happening in / what happened before the supposed kissing scene. Maybe Jacks knew at this point that the kiss wouldn't kill Eva? But, obviously, whatever it is, he's uncertain about the kiss. After restraining himself for letting a kiss happen between him and Eva for the basically the entirety of the two books, I do think that it's unlikely he would be the one to go for the kiss first, whether he know it's safe or not, so I think him standing still for it makes sense!

Evangeline couldn’t tell if he was afraid of the kiss or afraid that the girl might change her mind.

Ok, this sentence!! I think this is a huge one, personally. This most definitely sounds like something Jacks would think, especially after TBONA. Again, maybe Jacks knows at this point that the kiss wouldn't kill Eva, but he'd definitely still be afraid that it would. For the second part, I think this would definitely apply to Jack's mindset for Eva, especially after what happened at the end of the Hollow scenes. His feelings for Eva basically got rejected when she told him it was all because of the stone, and it was shown that this really affected him afterwards.

There are just so many possibilities for this potential scene! How would they know that the kiss would be safe? And how does Jacks believe in this strongly enough to not back away from it?

I have so many thoughts about this that I just can't really put into words, but feel free to build onto my ideas! <3

(also i had this drafted months ago but never posted it bcos life got in the way but im coming back to share this bcos i genuinely think this is huge :D)

#ouabh #once upon a broken heart #tbona #the ballad of never after #acftl #a curse for true love #stephanie garber #evajacks #evangeline fox #jacks #prince of hearts #acftl theories #ouabh theories #ouabh analysis #discord server saw it first like 6 months ago !!!!! #disappears for 3 months #drops banger tumblr post #refuses to elaborate

[ask-the-crimson-king]

The Erebus Short Story

And no, it's not Child of Chaos.

This is "Visage" by Rich McCormick, the advent short story that got released earlier this month.

Welcome to my lore post/review of it. Spoilers are under the Read More.

I will say I do think this is a worthwhile read. For the basic premise, it focuses on Erebus in the aftermath of his face being skinned off in Fear to Tread by Horus, a piece of lore I never thought would get any explanation other than "he's Erebus, how do you think he got his face back?". I won't give much detail other than that, so if you're interested in learning how it was done, give it a read.

I'm going to dig a bit deeper into the story itself, so as said before, spoilers under the cut. This post also became huge because of the quotes, so I apologize.

Hello and welcome everyone who has either read this or don't care to and would like to read my ramblings on the story.

This is not going to be super concise or may not even make a lot of sense; this is mainly going to be me going over the passages I found interesting and talking about them.

First off, this scene;

‘My… lord…’ the chirurgeon managed through a constricted windpipe. ‘I am pleased… to see you have stabilised.’ He squawked – an attempt at a breath – as his face reddened to the colour of the XVII Legion��s armour. ‘Please… rest… that we may begin the process of repairing your wounds.’

Erebus’ lipless mouth was locked in a rictus grin, as if he found the situation perversely amusing.

‘No time,’ the Dark Apostle said, tendons in his cheeks visible as they worked his mouth and tongue. ‘The athame leaves its mark on those it touches.’ He raised the dagger, still clutched in his left hand, its edge hissing gently even now with its master’s own blood. ‘It is simple, chirurgeon. I need a new face,’ Erebus said, as he pulled the man closer to the ruined mask of his own. The chirurgeon could smell the Dark Apostle’s breath, hot and rancid, even over the metallic stench of blood. ‘I will take yours,’ Erebus growled.

‘But, my lord,’ the chirurgeon stammered, falling backwards as Erebus loosened his grip on his neck. He rubbed at his throat, his voice still hoarse. ‘I fear such a procedure would kill me.’

‘Then you must give thanks to the gods directly,’ Erebus said conversationally to the cowering man as he sat up on the stone slab. ‘That your sacrifice may be in my name.’

This initially caught me a bit off guard. My gut reaction was "uh. Hey, Erebus? Don't you have sorcery or something to put your face back on? Also, this is just a human. Isn't this face, y'know, not going to fit your skull??"

And luckily for me, all of these questions get answered.

Erebus examined it. It lacked the full range of intricate tattoos that had decorated his own face, but he could address that later. He could feel the athame’s effects coursing through his body: a grave-cold touch flash-freezing nerve endings as it slowly severed his physical connection to reality.

The mutilation was symbolic, as well as agonising. Stripped of his face, he was stripped also of its web of warding tattoos. Between the athame’s wounds and the constant attention of the Neverborn that he attracted, Erebus knew enough of the diabolic to understand that waiting much longer without those wards would put his life in jeopardy.

This solution would not last – a mortal’s face was not only physically smaller than a Space Marine’s, but also lacked the dense web of blood vessels – but Erebus had ensured that his acolytes were all marked with the same basic warding tattoos as he had been. The face would buy him the time to craft a more fitting solution. Perhaps he could even coerce Fabius to help him, he thought; the Chief Apothecary of the III was a skilled fleshcrafter.

First off, warding tattoos. That's cool. Also gives a bit more purpose than "this is done when one is devoted to the gods/their faith", which I also enjoy, especially because it's just more practicality. I'll definitely be incorporating that into my own lore with my Word Bearers lads moving forward.

Also, what better wards than ones literally etched into your flesh? That's metal as fuck.

Second off, hey, even Erebus acknowledges the face is too small and probably incompatible! And also he thinks about approaching Fabius again which probably would never go well for him. I don't know if he still has the leverage he thought he had now that Horus openly disgraced him. If I remember correctly, the leverage he used against Fabius in Fear to Tread was basically "I'll tell the other Legions you've been experimenting with them, too" and genuinely I don't think Erebus will be listened to by anyone at this point. Lorgar was basically done with him from the first minute he shows up in Betrayer, Horus literally flayed his face off, I think he's fallen from grace here.

And also Fabius is Fabius. I don't think he'd put Erebus's face back on unless there was a really good deal for him or truly at all as a means of

But then we get this, which is both comedic and a bit ridiculous:

For a moment, as the last needle left his body, there was no pain. Erebus allowed his hand to move to his new face, and touched its skin. It was too tight, already splitting along lines of pressure, the capillaries and blood vessels strained to bursting. Erebus smiled, or tried to; his new lips could not move.

‘Behold,’ he said. ‘The new face of your–’

Erebus screamed as his face caught fire. Black flame sparked under the new skin, turning fat and flesh to ash in an instant, a total rejection of the unwilling donor’s gift. The Dark Apostle clawed at his skull, tearing stitches and skin alike as he fought to free himself from the torture.

‘Too late!’ Erebus howled, and he ran from the agony, springing from the stone slab and staggering out of the apothecarion, still scraping with wild fingers at his flaming skull.

It's just funny. The flayed face literally bursts into flames. I don't have much other commentary other than this is ridiculous and hilarious and feels completely on-brand for Erebus. I cannot explain why. This genuinely made me laugh out loud when I read it.

He cannot smile. He can barely speak. He tries to say "behold the new face of your master" or something along those lines and it immediately catches on fire. That's hilarious. Amazing.

Afterwards, he plunges his face into a vat of old and congealed blood from Legionnaires at Isstvan [because of course it's taken from Isstvan, everything will be taken from Isstvan because Isstvan is important. Remember that from now into infinity. Black Library certainly wants you to] and then we get the Blessings of the Gods Any% Speedrun WR attempt as set by Erebus.

Now, I will say before I start yoinking a few more passages, I do not know how to fully feel about this entire thing. On the one hand, I do very much enjoy some of the descriptions used, as I will highlight, but on the other...

The first portion with him dealing with the Lord of Change [assumedly] was something that I liked. Not just because I do very much enjoy Tzeentch, but mainly due to a few key descriptions:

‘Then lend me your eyes,’ Erebus asked.

No, a million voices said. They screamed it and shouted it, bellowed it and whispered it, laughed it and sneered it and spat it.

All except one. Small, quiet, almost imperceptible in the cacophony of its peers, it spoke a different word.

Yes, it said.

If he had a face, Erebus’ mouth would have slid into a predator’s smile.

‘See, daemon? There is always another path,’ he said.

[. . .]

A bird, flying impossibly through the void, so small, so fragile against the infinite black. It beat its wings to escape, but Erebus knew the realm of daemons better than any other alive, and he caught it easily. He cradled it in his tattooed hands. It was tiny in his grasp, like a child’s toy, and he could feel its heartbeat: an irregular rhythm that was never the same twice. The bird looked at him with eyes like gemstones, one the purest blue, the other topaz yellow.

A name.

‘Your kind cannot resist sharing your knowledge,’ Erebus said. ‘So you hide it, somewhere small, somewhere hard to find.’ He stroked the bird’s plumage with his thumb. ‘But I am very good at finding things that others cannot, and I am very patient. I also know the most important question to ask.’

He asked that question now, and held the bird to his ear, to hear its answer. It spoke a single word with a single voice, as quiet as a wish.

Erebus would have smiled, had he possessed lips. Instead, with a skull’s rictus grin, he snapped the bird’s neck with two fingers, and spoke the word it had told him.

I love this description. I love the frailty of the tiny bird, I love the instance of "quiet as a wish", I love how Erebus calls out the daemon for wanting to spread information, it's wonderful. I love all of the above.

What I don't really like is that the majority of this Tzeentchian venturing has been done before. Winged Astartes through a daemon realm? Mephiston did that on Sortiarius in City of Light. The many paths thing? I think there's been at least five or six different instances of that happening. And while I do like how Erebus is presented as being a bit more savvy than others would be -- actively saying "No, I'm not choosing a path cause that damns me" -- he then kinda goes back on this?

‘You seek to contain me in a trap of my own making. I know this trick, daemon. I have walked such paths many times before, with others of your kind,’ Erebus said.

No trick, the voices chorused in return. A path to what might be – a path to what has come. We can show you the possibilities, but you must make the choice. You are the instrument.

‘Entertain me, then. How will I play your game?’ Erebus asked.

This is just weird. Why include this if he's immediately going to just... go along with what the daemon wants anyway?? To show the reader "oh he's done this before"? Maybe I'm nit-picking here, but I do consider myself a Tzeentchian connoisseur when it comes to 40k lore, and I would've liked to see something a bit different to just "walk the paths of fate, ooOoOOo" yet again. It feels a bit one-trick and, ironically enough, pigeon-holed.

I think what I would've liked to see would maybe be Erebus thrown into a facsimile of a library on Colchis, probably one of Vharadesh's archives if we want to keep the whole "your first choices were here" thing going on. Have him peruse the volumes and dig for the answers he seeks that way. It's something more associated with the Thousand Sons, but I think it could work as a better motif than the exhaustively used "walk the paths of fate and see how you failed ooga booga".

Again, might be nit-pickish, but I like Tzeentch content. And I don't hate all of this section, I do enjoy the descriptions as mentioned before. I also think the library or archive would work better since Erebus is calling out the daemon for some part of itself always wanting to share that secretive knowledge.

SOMETHING. I like playing to the knowledge aspect of Tzeentch, and I'd like to see it used outside the Thousand Sons for once.

I've gone on long enough about this, so I'm going to move on.

From Tzeentch to Khorne as Erebus comes face-to-face with a massive Bloodthirster guarding countless skulls on Terra. I don't have a lot of notes on this other than the Bloodthirster reads a lot like one of my player's character from a Black Crusade game I ran and that felt funny to me.

Also, brief aside, from basically here-on Erebus is constantly referred to as "the instrument" and due to me being strange and having internet brainrot at times, I keep associating it with the TOOL from Petscop. If you know you know.

Another aside, Erebus is completely naked in the scene for reasons that I don't really get. Maybe to show he is vulnerable? Is this a subversion of the armored warrior thing? Is it to get Erebus to admit he is vulnerable in the face of this massive daemon? It's probably something along those lines. I found it an interesting enough detail to log in my mind as he talks with the beast and eventually gets its name. I don't have much else to really say, Khorne stuff isn't my forte.

Now, I will comment before continuing; on my first read through, I thought this was not only filling in the gap of "how did Erebus get his face back?", but also filling the gap of "who are the four princes/greater daemons he summons to use against Erda in Warhawk?". I'm still 30/70 on whether these daemons are the very same, but leaning more on the "probably not, it's just a coincidence" side.

Still an interesting thought.

Okay. To preface what is next, it's time for Slaanesh. From the heavy handed, "I know many secrets", it's probably a Keeper of Secrets in the form of a snake. Hurray for fellow snake enthusiasts everywhere.

I have a lot of thoughts over the following scene, which I will try to articulate as well as I can. Due to the length of it, I'm going to showcase it in screenshots instead, with appropriate image descriptions attached.

There's a lot to go through. First of all, Erebus is told all men desire and then gets shown Horus.

That is simply funny. Erebus does like the Warmaster. But I don't buy his "he's chosen by the Pantheon so I trust him as their champion" thing. I don't think that's the true reason why he doesn't strike here. For one, he knows this is an obvious test of wills and limits, and he knows that he can't fail it or else he's probably done for. For two, if we take all that he is into account, Erebus isn't really... super into power grabs for himself. He likes to play the role of manipulator, he likes to pluck off the limbs of scorpions until he gets stung. That's how I've been reading him, anyway. He still absolutely wants power, but he knows how to get it without necessarily centering everything on him, if that makes any sense.

He says it in "Child of Chaos", how everyone will eventually turn back to him again. He KNOWS people will still need him and his abilities and expertise and that they'll always come back eventually. He'll always have a seat of power that is greater and grander than many others, they just won't know it because he knows how to veil it in the glories of another.

No idea if that made any sense, but there's more to this scene I want to unpack.

I do like the detail of Erebus's new eyes also assisting him in clearing his head. The athame -- or really the daemon -- is trying to push him to get vengeance for all the humiliation Erebus has suffered, but the eyes he received from his time with the Tzeentchian daemon helps him to see things more clearly. I like that a lot. Using the gifts of the others to better survive the next trial ahead.

I also like how Horus just completely goes for the throat with Erebus. It speaks to all his assumed insecurities, that Horus never needed him, that he's so far beneath the true chosen of the Pantheon, etc. etc. I can't really tell if these are genuine insecurities for Erebus or whether this is just the daemon assuming they are, much like we the reader may. I think Erebus is a bit more assured than this, but we don't really get much of a peak behind the curtain to how he's really thinking or feeling. I do think this is a deliberate writing choice, however, so I won't knock on it too much. Would I have liked to see a bit more of what he was feeling in this moment? Sure, but Erebus as a character would never show that. Leaving one guessing is the best outcome for him.

Afterwards, Erebus shuns a gift of some weird... blood? in a cup, grabs the serpent, gets the name and obtains a tongue. We also are given this description:

‘I grant you my tongue, that you may savour this gift,’ the serpent whispered, euphoria in its voice. Erebus felt the organ flick against his ear, the softest touch of breath on skin.

And the mental image of a pink snake going blelele against Erebus's cheek is adorable. Also, "the organ". I don't know why but that made this all the more funny.

Moving past the snake, we come to the last of the Big Four, Nurgle. And this is the one place that surprisingly almost overwhelms the Hand of Destiny.

But how? You may be asking. Well, dear reader, it is through a most enticing luxury few others can afford:

‘Lost, are you?’ the helmswoman asked. ‘It’s easy to get lost out here, traveller. Come with me, I can give you a place to rest.’

Her voice was warm and comforting, at odds with her appearance, and he found himself drawn to it.

‘This place is my test,’ Erebus said.

‘Hush now, traveller. You must be tired. You have come such a long way.’

[. . .]

 a cabin that rose from the swamp on teetering wooden stilts. Its interior was damp, and clumps of quivering moss could be found clinging to several surfaces, but Erebus found it strangely comfortable. He decided he would heed the woman, and rest a while before continuing his travels, and he took residence in a spare room with a cot that seemed uniquely designed for his proportions. He fell asleep quickly.

When he awoke, the woman was in his room. Her skin was pockmarked with sores that wept a thin yellow liquid.

‘Did you rest well?’ she asked in her warm voice.

‘I did,’ Erebus said, and he meant it. His sleep had been so deep, so pure, that it had cleansed his mind of his previous trials, wiping it clean of pain, of anger, of impetus. So deep that he found it difficult to recall how he had arrived in this place. ‘I came here for a purpose,’ he said slowly.

‘It cannot have been important, if you have forgotten it,’ the woman said, a wide smile spreading across her bleeding lips. ‘Come, drink,’ she said, and offered a wooden bowl of viscous liquid. Erebus accepted the bowl without question, and tipped its contents down his throat. The liquid was as warming as the woman’s voice, and he felt his concerns slide away as its effects reached his limbs.

It's the power of a very good nap and a homemade meal. And he stays here for a very long time. He just naps and rests and is given good hearty Nurgly stew.

I very much enjoy this depiction of Nurgle. This could've easily been a "walk through the Gardens, become wracked with pain that the Grandfather can alleviate" or something, but instead it takes the comforting aspect of the Grandfather's influence and really goes a very good job portraying it.

And yet Tzeentch got the cliche "walk through the paths of your failures past and future" no I am not going to be spiteful and petty I am NOT biased I promise [lies].

What eventually breaks him out of this state is his hunting trips -- he goes out to find food for him to eat, having forgotten what else he needed to do. He gets told to stop his hunting and to just let go, and after he awakens from sleep yet again, his companion is missing. So he decides to go through the kitchen, and eventually finds his face:

He was prepared to return to his cot, when he caught sight of a red mess of a shape in the reflective copper surface of a saucepan hung from a hook on the wall. As he moved, it moved, and he realised that it was his own face. His face, mauled and mutilated, maimed and disfigured.

He saw the Warmaster, his talons red with transhuman blood, and the contentment that filled his soul dissipated. It was replaced by a cold fury.

The woman returned a moment later, a crop of mushrooms clutched between her fingers. Erebus manoeuvred his bulk to bar her way.

‘You cannot hold me here, daemon,’ he thundered, staring into her milky eyes.

‘I do not hold you here,’ she said, her voice as clear as ever. ‘You may leave, if you have somewhere else to go.’

‘You think that I will forget my calling? I am Erebus – the Dark Apostle, the instrument of the gods.’

‘Names are meaningless,’ the woman said. ‘Death carries names beyond remembrance, and death conquers all.’

Erebus then makes an attempt to kill her, but this being the realm of Nurgle [and also the warp], such thing is meaningless. But he's gotten his clarity back. He's not a nameless traveller staying with a decaying granny in a swamp, he's Erebus again.

Mostly. He does offer to try and help her, if he is here for all eternity, and she tells him of a rare plant on the edge of the swamp. Of course, Erebus has trouble finding it without a nose, so he asks for one and is granted it.

Which then leads to a scene that I found funny for all the wrong reasons:

Under moss and dirt, beneath dead leaves and dying wood, Erebus uncovered a well.

It was built from bricks, their edges rounded with age, and he wasn’t sure if it was still functional, but as he slid the metal covering back, he saw the reflection of his mutilated face staring back at him in clear water. He reached in and cupped a hand of that water to his mouth. It was fresh, cold and sweet – a sliver of purity in a tainted land.

He filled a canteen with the water, and returned to the cabin. When the woman appeared with her own liquid, Erebus rejected it, drinking deep from the well water instead. The sight of it made the woman screech in fear.

‘What is it?’ she howled.

‘Water,’ Erebus said.

‘No!’ she screamed. ‘It is poison!’

He turned the canteen over in his hands, watching as the woman recoiled in fear. He allowed a drop of the water to fall from the canteen’s cap, watching intently as it fizzed and popped against the slime-green floor. As the smoke cleared, Erebus saw a tiny circle of brown amongst the green: the rotten wood returned to health.

The woman cowered in the corner of her hovel, a shivering corpse of a creature made somehow more pitiful. Erebus laughed.

‘Now, daemon, it is your turn to drink.’

Water is poison. Clean water is poison. In a Warhammer short story.

This is just hilarious. Completely unintentionally so, probably, but it is very, very funny that water is being used as a way to defeat a daemon in Warhammer. Something something the rule for showering in Yu-Gi-Oh! tournaments.

I do like that the well even exists, and that it took getting the gift to use it against the very daemon who was trapping him there. After days of bathing her with well-water from the canteen, eventually he gets the name from her, and he's finally out and free.

And he's got a new face:

He brought his hand upwards, feeling at the meat of his face, and found a shifting, squirming mass of flesh. He rose, and called to his acolytes.

‘Mirror!’

A hooded figure returned with a jewel-embedded mirror, its silver handle carved with runes. Erebus looked into its depths, and saw the reward of his trials: not just the services of powerful allies, but the power of the Four, represented in the visage of one.

He had seen this before – as a child, in the deserts of Colchis. Now that prophecy had come true.

Eyes that could see futures yet to pass. Ears that rang with the beat of the Blood God’s war drums. A mouth that ached for the rarest tastes. A nose for death in all its forms. With his new face, Erebus smiled.

And that ends the short story. I like it, overall. I do have my gripes with it, but I think one of the things that really stands out for me is the use of description here. I really enjoyed the word choices used.

I think this story could have handled a couple of the god-things a bit better, but I'm also a bit nitpicky when it comes to Chaos aspects. I would like to see some more diversity in the representation of Chaos as a whole, because a LOT of it does feel a bit one-trick-y, and we saw a bit of that, which I will take.

I would have liked to see a bit more into Erebus's head. I know this is third limited, but even through that lens we can see a lot about someone. Here it felt a bit more like physical reactions than mental ones. It felt like we were barred off from seeing more, but I also think this is probably by design, as I mentioned before. Erebus, as a character, wouldn't want anyone seeing more than just surface level. We see what we want him to see. He doesn't want us to know how he really felt during his trials and tribulations, we have to make those assumptions ourselves and live with them. Same with all the decisions he makes through the story.

Overall, not bad. I liked it well enough, and I think this is some competent writing and a good enough answer to a question I think most people shrugged off.

I hope you enjoyed my various ramblings and nit-pickings, I'm terribly sorry this post got so long. There was a lot I wanted to talk about and I'm curious to see if others agree or disagree or what their thoughts were about it.

#word bearers #warhammer 40k #erebus warhammer #how do you tag specifically this erebus #warhammer 30k #horus heresy #this post took forever to make ive been sitting on it for a couple of weeks now #sorry its also so damn long

[evansbby]

*POYT 5 UPDATE* + some general chit chat lol

lmfao at the way I thought I could contain this beast of a fic under 30k words. I’m at 29k words rn and still have 1.5 scenes left to write plus the epilogue… so it’s safe to say it’ll be longer than 30k words.

Also if anything has made me doubt my writing, it’s this fic. I just… I want it to live up to expectations so bad that I keep going back and editing it. And that’s made me hate parts of it and I panic bc I don’t want to change it but then I do but then I don’t and I just… UGH! I just want to be 1000% happy with it but I feel like that’s impossible at this point.

One thing I hate about my writing is the way I just go on and on and there’s so much unnecessary preamble, so I always go back and try and edit all that out. Like delete all the random extra wording I use and just try and get to the point faster. But then even that’s hard bc every single thing I’ve written in poyt 5 is just so relevant to the story!

Now I have so many doubts bc maybe I should’ve split it into two parts, maybe I should’ve changed the plot and done it different and I just… IT’S TOO LATE TO CHANGE IT and honestly I’m happy with my original plot but I’m also scared of how it’ll be perceived. Bc I remember a few people were critical of the Bucky spin-off and like… with how much effort I’ve put into this 30+k fic, I think I’d actually cryyyy if people perceived it badly.

BUT THEN the rational part of my head is reassuring me that it’ll be fine… that I’ve genuinely worked so hard on it that it can’t actually be as bad as I sometimes think it is. Bc I’ll read it and not think it’s “epic” enough to be a fitting conclusion but like… this isn’t GOT we’re talking about it’s just POYT 🥲😂 and POYT isn’t meant to be epic, it’s meant to be heartwrenching and sad and emotional… which I think it is!!

Ultimately, I’ve stayed true to my original idea. Of course I’ve made minor changes along the way (plus one huge major change to the ending that I had originally envisioned but we’ll discuss that once the chapter is out heheh). BUT YEAH, this is all just mindless mind chatter and insecurities and I’m just writing it all down bc it’s better to get your feelings out isn’t it…

I guess my worst fear is people saying that the fic was draggy, that it got too tedious and long for them, that it got boring halfway through, that it wasn’t what they thought it was going to be, that I let them down, that i bit off more than I could chew and now I haven’t given them a satisfactory conclusion. And I honestly don’t know how I’d defend myself to all this criticism if I got it bc I genuinely tried my best.

But let’s also remember that I started writing this fic back in January. And other writers know that when we reread our work we always want to change it or tweak it or in hindsight we know we could’ve written it better. And I HAVE tweaked it since then and rewritten and edited and all that… but I’ve kept the plot bc I have faith in it… this is the story I want to tell.

And I realise that writing all this is kind of insane and I know people are side eying me and rolling their eyes but guys I’m just putting my emotions down and I’m genuinely scared. I’ve always said that whenever I post a new chapter of poyt, it’s insane the way my heart beats and my palms get sweaty like I SWEAR to you I have a whole ass panic attack each time I post but it’s always vindicated by the amazing feedback so it’s a win win

HONESLTG reading over this word vomit I feel like I sound insane but genuinely I’m just trying to get my thoughts down. I guess I’m just super insecure about this last chapter but honestly, anyone in my position would be?? Right??? I just hope you guys love it. And the characters are believable and you think the writing is good

Okay I’ll stop now byeee

#my thoughts 💭

[bratshaws]

through the hourglass 210. brb x oc

a/n: posted early cause im dealing with some stuff rn and im KINDA ANXIOUS but i hope you guys like it(comments and reblogs are super welcome and encouraged!)

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

warnings: none uwu

goodness gracious (pls read this one to know more what this fic is about!!)

chapter

1/

/164/165/166/167/168/169/170/171/172/173/174/175/176/177/178/179/180/181/182/183/184/185/186/187/188/189/190/191/192/193/194/195/196/197/198/199/200/201/202/203/204/205/206/207/208/209

(pls let me know if you want to be added to the taglist! )

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-

She could look at him for hours, she knows that there’s nothing nor anyone as beautiful as Rooster. Her stomach flutters watching his smile widen as he leans down to pick Nicole up, placing her on his shoulders as they wander into the theater. She’s a few feet behind because she is fixing something in her bag, but as soon as she sees that scene she just stops.

It seems…almost fitting to come back here. She remembers how nervous she was on their first date, how much she didn’t want to mess up and how much she feared he’d just find himself bored or even annoyed by her antics. But no, Rooster was just…completely devoting his full attention to her.

He had fun,she had fun…they shared their first kiss not too far from here and ever since then he has proven how much he’s just the best man that ever existed. Her smile turns soft the longer she looks, only focusing down when she sees his arm leaning back - with his other arm busy with Nicole on his shoulders- while making grabby motions at her with his hand.

Her cheeks turn red but she does approach him - it’s funny because the grabbing motions almost turned desperate the longer she took- interlacing their fingers together. He smiles immediately,even when he’s not looking, “You want popcorn?”

“Hmm…I think so, do you?”

“I do.” he turns his head to the side, the smell of movie theater popcorn was way too good for him to pass up, “And maybe some Snickers, or m&m’s. Maybe m&m’s. I can’t really eat them with Nikki cause she can’t have it,but I can save it up for later.” and he was eyeing that packet like it owed him money, shaking Beatrice’s hand a bit before turning to her,”What do you want?”

“I’m okay with water for right now,Roos.’ she smiles, turning her head to check the several posters on the walls. This place never disappoints, they were really showing children movies from the 80’s and 90’s…of course some of them really aren’t that child friendly when you think about it, but it was still very fun.

“Papa.” Nicole taps Rooster’s head, then points to a large poster, “Bird!”

There was a huge Sesame Street poster staring right back at them, ‘Follow that Bird’ to be exact. Nicole’s eyes were glued on it and the line to see it wasn’t that big. Whenever Rooster turned the opposite way,she looked back at it, pressing her chin to the top of his head with those green eyes open wide.

“...I think we have a chosen one.” Beatrice smiles, rubbing Nicole’s back with her hand, “I’m amazed at the amount of toddlers and kids here,I’m…I’ didn’t know you could make a ‘children night’ at a movie theater.”

Rooster chuckled, his eyes following Nicole's fascination with the Sesame Street poster. "I mean,she likes Sesame Street already.," he remarked, clearly amused by his daughter's excitement. "And you're right, this whole children's movie night thing is a great idea. It's nice to see families enjoying these classics together." he smirks at Beatrice, “Wanna know the first movie I wanted to see with my mom?” she blinks at him, ‘Guess.”

“Roos, there are several.”

“Come on,guess.”

She huffs, rolling her eyes, “Give me a hint.”

“Alright,” he holds his index finger from the hand wrapped around Nicole’s leg, “It’s a horror movie.”

“You…took your mom to see a horror movie?”

“I mean,it was the early 90’s…it wasn’t that scary.” he smirks, “Come on, guess, you have to guess.”

“Are you telling me you went to see 'The Silence of the Lambs' with your mom?" Beatrice asked with her eyes widening and mouth slowly parting in surprise.

Rooster burst into laughter, "You know, I think my mom thought it was going to be more of a crime drama or something, not a full-on horror film. We both ended up a little spooked, but she played off as nice as she could…she wasn’t that amused though."

Beatrice chuckled, shaking her head. "That's quite the choice for a mother-son movie night too. I can only imagine the conversations you had afterwards."

Rooster nodded, a nostalgic look in his eyes. "Oh, you bet. She kept saying she’d never go to the movies with me again, that things like that were going to traumatize me…and to be honest, Anthony Hopkins’ movies kinda freak me out a little because of that…but hey, it was still fun.”

Her eyes softened as they were in line to get the popcorn, Nicole still looking at the movie poster, “Did you two go often?”

“Not as often as I’d like.” he mutters, fixing his baby girl on his shoulders with his eyes ahead, ‘...we had our movie nights, y’know but it was mainly at home. The last time we actually did go was before I left for UVA.”

Beatrice could sense the bittersweet undertone in Rooster's words as he spoke about his movie nights with his mom. It was clear that those memories held a special place in his heart, yet there was also a hint of longing, perhaps for more time together. As they continued waiting in line, she gently reached out and placed her hand on his back, offering him a comforting touch.

"I'm sure those movie nights were really special to her too," Beatrice said softly. "I’m sure she had a lot of fun."

Rooster turned to her, a grateful smile on his face. "Thanks, baby. I really do cherish those memories, and I know my mom did too.” he frowns for a brief second, “When she got sick she still watched her shows and everything, but we rarely went out unless we had to go to the hospital.” they move forward on the line and he sighs through his nose, “I don’t know,I’ve been thinking about her a lot lately.”

“Yeah?’

“Ever since I was told of my promotion.” he mutters, pursing his lips a bit, “...anyway,” he clears his throat, adjusting Nicole on his shoulders as they were at the counter, “I know it’ll be okay, it’s just a lot right now…but it’ll be fine.”

Beatrice’s eyes softened but she didn’t continue the line of thought she had, thinking that if he was okay with it, he was going to tell her about it when he was ready. But she had to admit, therapy was doing wonders to him, she could see in his eyes. After getting the enormous popcorn bucket - and a few chocolates for him - the three of them disappeared through the door to watch the movie.

If Nicole was enticed by the salty,buttery, movie treat, she didn’t show it. In fact, she was walking ahead in the carpeted floor, with Rooster and Bea right behind her, she was sweet enough to wander by every aisle and gently wave her hand to everyone she saw only to go back to the huge screen in front of her.

For a baby her size, it was obvious it was enormous and she stood in front of it with her head tilted back, eyes wide and mouth open, even letting out a quiet ‘ooohhh’ as she looked. It was bright still and it was obvious they weren’t going to make the room too dark because of the children there, but it was still very interesting to see.

“Nikki,” Beatrice calls and their daughter flicks her head in their direction, “Come here,honey, we gotta go to our seats.” Nicole takes a while to walk over, moving her eyes from Beatrice to the screen only to finally move her little legs in her direction.

Nicole toddled over to them, her tiny steps stopping every now and again to look back at the white screen, but her hand was stretched towards her parents, “Alright,” Beatrice picks her up once she’s close enough, “We better sit down, the place is filling up quick.”

Rooster nodded in agreement, and they found their not too far from where they stood. He holds Beatrice’s hand and guides her through the sea of people - she tries to bite her smile when his tall stature makes others look in either wonder or worry when he walks by.

 As they settled in, Beatrice held Nicole on her lap, ensuring she had a good view of the screen. The theater was indeed filling up with families, children of various ages chattering in excitement. Even some teenagers…which was strange but not too much?

“She okay?” he asks Beatrice quietly, balancing the popcorn on his lap.

She looks down at Nicole with a little smile, their little girl was still staring forward, “She’s okay. She’s excited.” she looks up when the lights dim a bit more, signaling the imminent beginning of the movie, “It’s about to start…thank God it’s not going to be so dark.” Nicole's eyes were still wide with wonder, bouncing on Beatrice’s lap for a little bit. “Kinda weird, isn’t it?”

“A little.” he replies while chewing, offering Beatrice some of the popcorn, “But it’s not so bad,it’s not really for us.”

“Yeah.” she whispers, “It’s not going to hurt anyone’s eyes that way.”

Rooster chuckled softly as he shared the popcorn with Beatrice. Their focus remained on ensuring Nicole's comfort and enjoyment, especially in this new experience. The dimmed lights provided just enough illumination to create a cozy ambiance without being too dark for the young audience.

As the movie began, Nicole's curiosity was evident in her wide-eyed fascination. She fidgeted a bit on Beatrice's lap, squirming with excitement. Occasionally, she'd turn her head slightly, catching a glimpse of the screen, and then she'd return her gaze to the bright colors and movements in front of her.

Beatrice and Rooster exchanged subtle smiles,the shared bag of popcorn slowly diminished, and their attention was divided between the film and making sure Nicole was comfortable.

While watching,Beatrice couldn’t help the question, “Roos.”

“Yeah?’

“That Miranda lady really rubbed me the wrong way.”

“It seems like it, since you are bringing her up now.” his tone was slightly protective and he carefully tilted his torso to hers so he could keep his voice down, “What are you thinking?”

Beatrice hesitated for a moment, she kept her voice low as she responded, "I just... I couldn't help but feel like she…interrogating me?” his brows furrow but she continues, “I’m almost glad you weren’t there to see it, because I feel like your patience would be…gone.”

“You are right about that.” he replies, “No one messed with you,gorgeous.”

She blushes softly, giving him a gentle look,  “I know.” she whispered, leaning in closer to him, "I don't want to let that woman's attitude ruin our day.But it just–”

He makes a sound in his throat, almost like a laugh, and she meets his eyes again in time to see they are crinkled at the corners, “You are so cute,I might date you again.” he coos, kissing her cheek, “You aren’t ruining anything, baby. You are venting.” he shrugs, “Plus, I’m glad you told me, because then I’ll know how to react if I see her close to you or…anywhere really.”

She appreciated how understanding and protective he was, and it made her feel safe and loved,so,so loved. She leaned close to his shoulder,dropping her head on it as Nicole kept looking forward, "Thank you, Roos," she whispered, her voice carrying a sense of genuine gratitude. "I just needed to get it off my chest. You always know how to make me feel better."

He chuckled softly, the sound comforting and reassuring. "That's what I'm here for, gorgeous. We're a team, remember? Whatever you're dealing with, we face it together."

“Even if that means weird Navy wives?”

“Especially that,” he replied with a playful smirk,tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “No one messes with my girl.”

She eases out a soft breath, his ‘my girl’ means so much to her. Her whole body shivers with how deep his voice sounded, “Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you."

He leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead, "Well, you won't ever have to find out, beautiful. I'm right here with you, every step of the way."

The movie continued to play, and they both enjoyed the shared experience of the film, occasionally glancing at Nicole to ensure she was still engaged and comfortable. Her hand slid to his, clenching his own only for him to squeeze right back, “...did you ever think we’d be watching this movie with Nicole?” he asks softly, “This was part of our childhood.”

“I’ll be honest,I was scared of Big Bird when I was a kid.” her response makes him lean back and give her a shocked look, prompting a sheepish shrug and smile from Beatrice, “I was really young,Roos.”

 "Well, it looks like Big Bird didn't leave any lasting scars," he teased gently, giving her hand another reassuring squeeze. "Or else this would be really awkward.”

“At least Nikki likes it.”

And she was loving it, she leaned back against Beatrice in pure relaxation with her eyes locked on the screen, her tiny hands curled by her chest as she watched everything. 

Rooster chuckled softly, watching their daughter with a fond expression. "Yeah, she's definitely enjoying it.." he comments, “It’s really nice to see her liking it.”

Beatrice smiled warmly, her heart filled with happiness as she watched Nicole. "It really is. I And she doesn’t appear traumatized. Like I was."

“How old were you then?”

“Around five or four I think.” she explains, “Sabrina got the vhs tape for me and immediately regretted it soon after because I ran away crying. Funnily enough,I loved Never Ending Story.”

“...with that fuckin’ dragon?”

Beatrice’s brow flicked at Rooster’s face, “...yeah,he looked like a dog.”

“No. That was no dog…and the horse died. That,I hated that.”

“...I mean I hated it too but–” she smiles with a gasp, “...you were scared of that movie.”

“I mean–”

“But not of Silence of the Lambs.”

He holds up a finger, “I was a bit older watching Silence of the Lambs,” he points out, “It was different.”

"Hm…fair point," she admitted, nudging him playfully with her shoulder. "I’ll let that slide,LC"

Rooster grinned, giving her a mock serious look. "Yeah, and don't forget, I'm the tough guy now, so nothing scares me." He crossed his arms and bulged his biceps to prove his point, only for them to end up snickering like two kids.

Nicole remained blissfully oblivious to their grown-up conversations, still enchanted by the movie on the screen. Except she did give them a side-eye when they laughed, almost annoyed by it only to focus back on the screen.

Beatrice couldn't help but chuckle at Nicole's reaction, as if she were giving them a little scolding for interrupting the movie. She leaned in closer to Rooster, whispering with a playful tone, "Looks like we've got our own little movie critic here."

Rooster grinned, glancing at Nicole and then back at Beatrice. "Yeah, she's got high standards.Sorry baby girl." he teased, giving Nicole a wink. It doesn’t take too long for the movie to end and after the credits rolled, they gathered their belongings, ready to head back out into the world outside the theater.

As they walked hand in hand, the sunlight felt refreshing, and the world seemed a little brighter. Rooster glanced at Beatrice, a smile playing on his lips. "You know, we should do this more often. Movie days with our girl, exploring new places."

Beatrice's heart warmed at his words. "Absolutely. Such as? Any place in mind?"

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, his love for her evident in his eyes. "Well…how about we go to Mr.Scoops? It’s been so long.” he says, adjusting Nicole on his hold, “Plus, they must have something Nicole can have,right?’

Beatrice’s smile only widened, “...Yeah, I like that idea.”

#bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x oc #top gun maverick #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw x female reader #bradley bradshaw x named reader #tgm oc #tgm fic #tgm fanfiction

[genlosstse-au-factory]

Now that my full blow anxiety has reduced about the comic blog situation I can reveal to people my thoughts on the whole thing.

I’ll be giving out a criticism to all parties. (I’m not going to use names because I’m still scared.)

Also PLEASE TELL ME IF I GET ANYTHING WRONG.

First of all, something in the comic made two people who I am friendly with uncomfortable. I’m not quite sure what it was but I’m sure it was justified.

Then, a blog I follow (1) said that they really dislike the comic. This is fine.

But this is where one of the first follies comes in. One of said friendlys (2) reblogged the message onto their blog used for being a fan of the comic. They must’ve felt very strongly about how they didn’t enjoy the comic any longer, but in doing this, they threw attention onto 1 who expressed that they proceeded to get death threats. Now, I’m pretty sure that 1 doesn’t mind that 2 brought attention on to them (or maybe they do. I don’t read minds).

Now of course, death threats and hate. That’s a huge mistake from the people who sent them. Don’t fucking send death threats. Don’t do that. That’s not okay. Enough said.

Now I’m going to criticize 1 for a moment. One of 1’s reasons for disliking the comic blog is because the blog runner (3) blocked them on their main. Now, 1 often expresses that it’s totally fair to block someone you dislike or disagree with.

1 criticizing 3 for blocking them, kinda using it as a “they were always bad news”, doesn’t quite make any sense. People can block you and not hate you.

A criticism from others that I’ve seen given to 3 is that the use of the pandemic in their plot is insensitive. I can see this being the case. Another one is saying they (3) wouldn’t do fan service as they felt their audience was too young, but still let them slightly (?) sexualize one of the characters.

(Side note: 2 confuses me in this manner because they are the one who brought this concern up, but I felt as if they were doing some of that themselves. Maybe they could clarify this?)

Anyways, 3 then makes a post expressing that a person (presumably 1) who criticized them, that their criticism didn’t feel genuine and more spiteful ands says they were also slightly harrassed (?) by this person. But they vividly express for a second time that sending hate is bad.

Now my role in all of this. I was allowed to make a blog that added to the canon. I communicated with 3 directly. I feel like I’m friendly with them.

Now you see why I’m so panicky and so fucking conflicted.

I respect 1, 2, and 3. And I really just hope this is all an over reaction. Maybe I’m over reacting again myself and this message wasn’t needed. But still the little details don’t line up in my brain which is making me think that everyone is a bit wrong.

Anyways. PLEASE SAY YOUR OWN THOUGHTS SO WE CAN ALL GET A BIGGER PICTURE.

[warrior-cats-rewritten]

re: your dotc rewrite, the details are much better than the original. if you take recommendations, maybe emphasize before gray wings death that he avoids or rejects assitamce from shadowclan? that or when he was kicked out, nobody knew he had asthma? its more a “depends on how you read it” thing, but him being kicked out to die of his asthma just feels a little too cruel for the much kinder characters of your dotc rewrite, even when he is a horrible asshole, yknow? especially with ableism being a huge part of the original arc (clear sky kicking out disabled cats to die all the time).

love your rewrites so far, especially interested that instead of “fixing” some of the chaarcters you just role with the way they were accidentally written horrible and give them consequences. keep up the good work! ☺️

This is a longer post but has a lot of detail.

Yes! I should probably clear that up! His asthma, when he was kicked from Windclan, was not bad. Like at all. Only like.... 2 cats actually knew, Pebble Heart and Hawk Swoop, who was nosy, and is now dead. He himself downplayed it and insisted he was fine, just a tickle, bit of prey scratched my throat, guess I can't run so fast anymore, I'm getting old/out of shape/my legs are just sore. His demise was his own making. If he'd just acknowledged he had any problem at all, he would still be alive. (Well, not nowadays, you know what I mean)

Excuses. Just like canon. At least you can say he never let it get him down. But medical problems don't go away just because you ignore them.

He gets worse after he is kicked out. And he is kicked out for saying something fucking HORRIFIC to Wind Runner about her dead baby. They put up with his Clear Sky bootlicking, but he tried to drive out Bumble before, and now this? No. Go find another group. Sorry, but you clearly won't change after driving Turtle Tail, Jagged Peak, Bumble, Tall Shadow, and Thunder Storm away.

After this, the story isn't from his point of view. Thunder Storm sees him again coming up to their camp, that tickle in his throat getting worse and tighter. Thunder Storm, bless his heart, wants to help, but he can't forget how Gray Wing treated Bumble. He offers a deal. Apologize, and you can stay.

"What?! No! She should be sorry to ME for stealing Turtle Tail! We aren't kittypets, and that's that!"

Thunder Storm is about to offer some help (remember Cloud Spots is not here yet) but Gray Wing snaps at him. His uncle won't change...

Clear Sky is a bust. Sky Petal still doesn't like him, and although this is after The First Battle, when Gray Wing coughs, Clear Sky (IN CHARACTER) says no. We have sick cats here, and my Sky Petal is pregnant. No. But... Clear Sky says he is sorry, and that's enough for Gray Wing to go "yeah, I get it. That's okay. My brother is so caring about his new mate" (nevermind that he said 'my' Sky Petal)

He stays with River Ripple's camp, getting jumpscared by a little gray molly, but Frosty Paws is kind, offering him some herbs before she slinks back into the shadows, making Gray Wing wonder if she is a spirit cat. He tells Dappled Pelt about it and she gets very excited.

Frosty Paws gave him catmint.

He is kept in River Ripple's camp for a while (River Ripple POV!) until River Ripple is forced to intervene with the One Eye problem. Clear Sky and One Eye are leading attacks on others.

River Ripple tries to be understanding when Gray Wing insists that Clear Sky is good deep down, just afraid... But he looks at the quickly whitening tom, and says

"Fear doesn't justify murder. Fear doesn't make a cat do this."

When Gray Wing lashes out, he tears River Ripple's ear, Night and Storm Bird tell him to leave. All he does is complain about the taste of their beloved, sacred fish, and how unfair it is that Turtle Tail left him for that fat housecat. Funny though, the ripped spot has to be severed, and it looks like it changed the course of his ear completely, like a river that changed how it flows. Well, no use dwelling on it, let's go chill on Sunningrocks, after all, only we can swim to it. :)

He isn't seen for a while because he doesn't get pretty much any more POV time. But Path Of Stars happens.

He gets weak, collapsing on a big root in the marsh, and found by Tall Shadow, who drags him back to camp. Hell has broken lose, with Star Flower trying to pick off the Proto-Clan Cats one by one. She tells him to wait in camp, Thunder called a meeting between the 5 leaders and she needs to make sure River Ripple attends.

There, he sees Pebble Heart examining Bumble, looking a little bigger, next to Turtle Tail, who looks so excited she is shifting from paw to paw. Bumble is expecting another small litter for them. Pebble Heart comes over to him, and offers him treatment, but he stomps over to Turtle Tail and tries to pick a fight with her. How dare she leave to Moor, and leave him when he helped raise her kits and-!

She slaps him. Claws sheathed. She never got this catharsis with her first abusive mate, but she'll do it with her second one. She tells him that she doesn't love him anymore, that Bumble has helped her when her night terrors get bad, Bumble was there when Owl Eyes got a bad cold and she worried herself sick. Bumble was the one who helped her sneak out, and prevented twolegs from stealing her kits. Bumble never tried to punish her for being her own cat.

He stays quiet, before he stalks out of camp, Pebble Heart tries to reach out to him, but Gray Wing just hisses at him to get away, go with your real parents then... But all Pebble Heart wanted was to treat a cat in need. He had found many herbs he wanted to try.

His asthma attack hits when he reaches the Five Oak Trees that lead to each territory.

He lays the curse down on the other Clans, not finding it in himself to fully curse Shadowclan, not looking their way when his gaze sweeps the different territories. He dies at Clear Sky's Oak. The fifth tree. His outstretched claws reaching to Riverclan, the last cats who rejected him.

He has a place in the Dark Forest, but his hate and anger bind him to the earth. He is known by the Clans as Gray Wing the Cruel, Enabler of Tyrants, Layer of Curses.

And He is Waiting for His Starless Clans.

#warrior cats #warrior cats rewrite #wcr #warriors #dawn of the clans #gray wing #turtle tail #bumble wc #pebble heart #river ripple #tall shadow #clear sky #petal wc #sky petal #thunder wc #thunder storm #wind runner #riverstar #skystar #shadowstar #windstar #thunderstar #(those leader tags are in order for a reason)

[lindszeppelin]

I almost feel bad for some of the Kaustin shippers. So many have done face reveals and/or use their real names/provide other identifying information about themselves.

Like, most are young and in Kaia’s peer group or younger. I was wise beyond my years when I was that age but boy did I get more polished with age. I’m beyond glad there is no internet footprints of most of my thoughts and opinions from that age! I’d say they should know better, but they don’t have the perspective to how much their thoughts on relationships will change as they experience more relationships and witness how other people’s relationships fall apart. It’s the curse of being young: you think you know more than you do. They don’t know that how you feel in your early twenties will not necessarily hold up the rest of your life. That said, I low key feel Mollie should know better. She’s in freakin’ law school and is essentially studying and analyzing consequences at the end of the day. Like…does she think law firms or clients can’t one day come across her blog, tweets, photos (whether they’re still live when she officially enters that profession or on something like screenshots or the way back machine that someone will track down her footprint…which will be fine bc she’s literally teaching her followers how to better stalk Austin via the way back machine 🙄🙄🙄🙄) will find her literal stalking and investing sooooo much time into a relationship between people she’ll never meet cute or professional or even remotely okay? Like how is she not scared that this could be a huge embarrassment and liability to be such a rabid fan who follows several people’s every move? It’s a terrible look professionally.

Like I said, I kinda feel bad bc you don’t know what you don’t know. But they also write fan fiction as they go based on tips of icebergs (largely out of context) and are thinking it’s cool to leave their identifiable information out there. I don’t think I would have done that even at 22 so I cannot wrap my head around it. Sorry- just wanted to vent about this.

Related: I hate it when they say we’re infantilizing Kaia or any young women when we point out age differences aren’t cool. No, we’re 🚨warning🚨 them based on what we’ve learned. Not every older dude is a predator- I don’t think Austin is “ preying” on Kaia. But you hit a few nails on the head some posts back talking about him being a bit lost when he met Kaia. He had just finished some intense projects and was still likely finding himself post his relationship with Vanessa. Yes, it had been 2ish years but a) it was a long ass relationship, b) he wasn’t even living in LA the entire time between relationships and didn’t go home/see his family and c) throw in a global pandemic in there so those 2 years were weird AF. I’m personally of the belief that if an older man is with a younger girl something is a bit off, even if it’s neutral (read: not a bad guy or a predator) but is in a weird place or hasn’t grown into their adult life yet and just has a bit more work to do. I personally think he should have stayed single a bit longer to grow into his adult self. I don’t judge him for going for a younger woman and I semi get it, as I also believe we mentally/emotionally revert back to the relative age we were when a relationship began (post break up). He was so young when he and V got together and was in a serious relationship in his twenties. Of course he’s going to relate to younger people for a hot moment (and that’s not taking away his intelligence or maturity in other ways…this can happen to the best of us). But yeah, he should stayed single and someone should teach Kaia that older men who wanna date young women probably aren’t the best idea for a spectrum of reasons. It’s not infantilizing- it’s a warning, it’s concern, and it’s about being literate about human psychology and behaviors regarding patterns and societal standards that we need to rethink.

Sorry this was longer than I intended. I guess I’ve been wanting to say all of this for some time so it was bottled up. Hope it didn’t come across as a hater- I don’t hate Austin (I’m side eyeing and running out of patience the longer this goes on bc I believe him to be smarter than this, but I still don’t think he’s a bad dude.) As I said, this happens to the best of us and it’s not an attack. Life is messy and dialogues about this stuff are important. And bc we’ve lived it, those young whipper snappers should respect their elders and not gaslight our lived experience/observations/lessons learned 😂

Hello anon! I just wanted to have some dinner and craft a response for you, because damn this was so well put together that it deserves a little more depth of analysis from me. So thank you for taking your time to write in your thoughts.

Off the top, I do agree that the younger generation is way too lax with how they throw around their identifying information out there on social media. A lot of them just aren't aware that whatever you post online leaves a footprint, and even if you try to delete it or conceal it, it will always be there. So even if they think they're being cocky by revealing their faces and leaving their names and where they live and such out there without a care, welp that is gonna come back around and haunt them later. Us millennials (i assume you're a fellow millennial, or Gen X at most lol) know the dangers of the internet as we grew up with the beginnings of social media. I would think twice if i were these kids uploading their faces and other shit to twitter/tumblr. Employers can find all of this even when the shippers don't think they can.

I think when we were these shippers ages we all said some pretty cringe shit online. Here's hope that as these kids grow up they realize the damage they can do by how their words and actions can affect others. And I will also just say here that just because someone goes to college for higher learning doesn't mean they are smarter than anyone else. Book smarts don't equal street smarts. and in this world I highly value being street smart and internet smart over book smart. And i think we all know that not every profession is well suited to everyone that signs up for that career field. Passing the bar is insanely difficult and even then, do you know how many half assed shitty lawyers there are out there roaming these streets? Crazy.

The stalking in this fandom is horrific, and if she really is dishing out details on how to stalk Austin's past social medias to obtain information, then they are certified crazy. It's giving straight jacket. It's giving delusional stalker. And to answer your question of how they can overlook what they say online...arrogance and ego, simply put. You think you're untouchable until one day you're not.

This point you bring up here about Austin and Kaia, dude, amazing. This needed to be said. You are so correct. Of course Austin is not a predator. Only fucking idiots would say that shit and compare him to Leo. This man clearly went through the ringer, and his choice in dating partner only reflects the mental state he was in (and might still be lingering in) at that time. He had a full fledged identity crisis meanwhile he flew to London straight after being released from the Hospital in Australia and filmed MOTA, then a few short months later he met Kaia under questionable circumstances. Plus the whirlwind of the award season and the hefty Elvis press tour is so much for a person to handle, especially when this was his first time doing both of those. No man or woman under normal circumstances would get mixed up with someone much younger than them (especially when the younger one hasn't even been a legal adult for that long). it's really a reflection of a switch not being turned on for the older person AND fucked up trauma somewhere in the young person. Trauma all around really.

At kaia's age, being with a man much older than her might have given the impression to others that she was so wise beyond her years, but she's a damn child. She shows her age all the time when she takes pictures with her young friends, go to these embarrassing parties that involve BDSM or sex or fanfiction readings in her "perverted bookclub". That is all stuff a 22 year old and younger would probably be found doing. That is not something a functioning adult who's doing okay would engage in. Plus, by her own admission she has been around men much older than he all her life thanks to Cindy pushing her to model since she was so young. So she is fucked up from that, and dating older men is what she is used to. She thinks it's normal. But in reality, it's not. And it's the fact that these shippers who are her age DON'T have a problem with it, but those of us who are close to Austin's age have a MASSIVE problem with it.

You're telling me that if theses shippers were to see a regular 32 year old man holding hands with a 22 year old out and about in the grocery store or whatever that they'd be cool with it? No, you side eye that shit. It is not normal or usual, it is odd. I as a near 30 year old woman would never in my life consider dating someone Kaia's age, are you for fucking real? In Hollywood this weirdo shit might be immorally normalized, but in regular society it is NOT OKAY. And I hope Austin get out of this funk he's been in for 2-3 years now. Continuing to be with her will only further damage himself in the long run, as you can clearly tell this man is not in love with her.

I think I hit on everything I wanted to comment on, but honestly I don't remember so im just gonna leave it here lol.

#lindsay's anon asks